TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!” In our first reading today, we heard Joshua, Moses’ aide who would eventually succeed him, protest to Moses that Eldad and Medad were not present when the Spirit of God came and rested upon the rest of the elders, so they should not be prophesying. Pay attention to Moses’ response: “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!”
And, in our Gospel, we heard John, the beloved […]
RESPECT LIFE MONTH
It may be hard to believe, but October begins this week! Every October, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month and we are called to consider more deeply why every human life is valuable and reflect on how to build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death. With such issues as abortion, in vitro fertilization and immigration among the most important and controversial topics being debated in preparation for the upcoming elections, this is certainly a providential moment for us to reflect on […]
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Do you consider yourself a competitive person? Or maybe I should ask, in what area are you most competitive? We’re all competitive, aren’t we? Maybe you’re competitive in getting the best grades in your class or the biggest paycheck at work. Maybe you compete to make the best pancakes in your family or tell the funniest joke. We humans are naturally competitive. After all, that’s what helps us survive in this very competitive world.
In our culture, we often base our identity and self-worth on whether or not we are the […]
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“Who do you say that I am?” This is an important question that we hear Jesus ask his disciples in today’s gospel. It’s an important question that he asks each of us so let’s see how the encounter continues. Peter answers correctly, “You are the Christ.” Since this is the correct answer, we might wonder why Jesus immediately instructs the disciples not to tell anyone about him. Why would he do that? We all know that it’s because they had the wrong notion of who the Christ – the Messiah […]
CATECHETICAL SUNDAY
The Eucharist is a prophetic reminder that the human person is made for worship.
(Making Catholic Schools Eucharistic)
This weekend, we join with the Church throughout our nation and around the world in celebrating Catechetical Sunday. Those whom the community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth at the 9:30am Mass to be commissioned for their ministry. And, I will ask God’s blessing on all parents who are present as well, praying that God may strengthen them in their resolve to share the precious gift […]
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Do you know what the word “Alleluia” means? We just sang it with great joy as we prepared to hear the gospel proclaimed. In fact, we sing it every Sunday except during the Season of Lent. It’s a Hebrew word and it means “Praise God!” It is joyous cry of praise of God that dates back to Old Testament times. I wouldn’t be surprised if the man in today’s gospel passage went around singing “Alleluia!” Can you imagine how the man in today’s Gospel account must have felt? All his […]
FALL ACTIVITIES RESUME
FALL ACTIVITIES RESUME
Now that Labor Day is behind us, the summer season comes to an end and all of our parish activities and organization will resume. Our school already began this past Wednesday, 6 September, PREP begins on Monday,16 September, and Wednesday, 18 September, and all the other parish organizations resume their full fall schedule over the next few weeks. It will be great to have the parish facilities become fully alive again!
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
As fall activities resume, I would like to […]